How to Stick with Your Home Workout

If surfing the couch burned the same number of calories as surfing the ocean waves along the beach, we’d all be super fit, right? We’d also have six-pack abs, defined legs and toned triceps, all without leaving the house. It wouldn’t matter that we were in the same yoga pants for the third day in a row or that we hadn’t brushed our hair in the past 24 hours.

Even though sitting on the couch in yoga pants with a messy bun generally leads to Netflix marathons and excessive snacking, it IS possible to get fit without leaving the house. In fact, exercising at home is the perfect way to get in shape. There’s no driving to a sweaty workout facility filled with Spandex-clad people taking selfies in front of mirrors, or searching for parking or tracking down and unoccupied bench.

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But getting motivated to work out at home has its own set of challenges. The couch beckons, there’s laundry to be done, and the dog is napping on your yoga mat. The only thing standing between you and your home workout are the excuses. And we’re about to conquer all of them.

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Excuse 1: My living room is my de-stress zone

Hesitant to turn your living room into a 24-hour fitness center? There’s no need to convert your personal haven into a sweat space. Most people would rather sit on their couch than perform triceps dips with it. Consider converting a corner of the garage or basement into a workout area. Surprisingly, you don’t actually need an entire room to do squats, lunges, planks and other full-body movements. If the garage or basement are not options, find an area with as much open space as possible and store your equipment in a nearby closet or storage ottoman.

Excuse 2: I don’t have any equipment

Does the thought of spending hundreds of dollars on a treadmill and rack of weights scare you? Unless you’re trying to run a fitness business and open your gym to the surrounding community, there’s no need to compete with the 4-star gym downtown. There are plenty of fitness programs online that don’t require any equipment. Never underestimate the intensity of bodyweight moves such as burpees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks. If you do decide to invest in some equipment, consider items such as medicine balls, 5-pound and 10-pound dumbbells, a mat and a jump rope.

Excuse 3: I’m not sure what to do

In today’s fitness world of CrossFit, boutique barre studios and cycling classes that encourage you to follow along with choreographed dance moves, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to do. However, your fitness program doesn’t have to be complicated. Actually, the less complicated it is, the more likely you are to stick with it. Look up free workouts on YouTube. Consult a fitness friend or trainer with questions and for suggestions. Accountability is the result of action. Take action and write your routine down. Then do it.

Excuse 4: I’m not sure I have time

When you want to remember something, when you have an appointment or have to pick up food from the store, what do you do? You write it down. You put it on a sticky note on the fridge. Write it in your planner. Schedule it in your smart phone. Write down when you’re going to workout and do it. Make it a priority, just like an oil change for the car or a six-month check-up for your little one.

Stay determined and keep yourself accountable by putting these suggestions into action. Regardless of where you live or what your fitness goals are, overcoming the reasons not to workout is your first step toward actually doing them. Accountability comes from action and, with action, you will be on your way to becoming your best self.